Drak Lhalupuk Cave: Songtsan Gampo

CHINA, Tibet, Lhasa

This statue of Songtsan Gompo (reigned 629–650) is located in Drak Lhalupuk, the cave near Potala Palace where Songtsan meditated. Sculptures made in this cave by later generations are regarded as extraordinarily significant national memorials. Songtsan Gampo continued the unification of the Tibetan plateau that was begun by his father in the first half of the 7th century. His foreign diplomacy included marriages to the Nepalese Princess Bhrkuti and the Chinese Princess Wencheng. Under their influence, Buddhism was established in Tibet.
The king is depicted wearing a tall orange crown made of silk, with an image of Amitabha Buddha embedded on top, to indicate his respect to the Buddha. His hair is tied in two plaits that extend to his chest, and he has a thin mustache and tufts of hair on his lower lip. The body is painted golden yellow, the traditional color for a ruler. Songtsan Gampo wears a rolled-edge robe with a crossover collar tightened with a lavish girdle. The soft texture of the fabric is expressed with even lines.